A Shared Destiny
by danceofgold
Summary: How Sonia Belmont met Alucard, leading up to the events in Castlevania Legends. Written from Sonia's POV.
1. Chapter 1

**How Sonia met Alucard, leading up to the events in Castlevania Legends. Written from Sonia's POV.**

Note: This is a fanfic. I know full well why Sonia has been removed from canon, but fan fiction isn't canon. So, if you don't like this pairing, do yourself a favour - **don't read it. **

Usual disclaimer: Castlevania's characters belong to Konami, and I don't own anything, and I'm just writing this for enjoyment.

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A Shared Destiny

My father had been a vampire hunter, and so had my grandfather. They were so celebrated for their talent for vanquishing evil that they were revered almost like gods by the people of Transylvania. I had worshipped them too, as a little girl, and I dreamt that one day I would be a whip-wielding scourge of the undead, just like them. When I was twelve I began displaying unusual strength and agility, as well as the ability to sense the presence of spiritual beings, and my grandfather taught me how to use a whip, much to the consternation of my father.

When I was thirteen, my grandfather was killed brutally by Dracula's minions. Ever since that incident, I had been actively hunting down the creatures of the night. I had a scar just below my collarbone where a bloodsucker had gotten overzealous and had torn of bits of my flesh with its fangs. It hurt horribly and took forever to heal, but I was proud of it. My father was hysterical over it.

"Sonia, vampire-hunting is not fun and games," he had admonished me sternly.

"I never said it was."

"You're my only daughter, and I will not allow this. Vampire-hunting is not a woman's job."

"So, you want me to stay at home and wait for my prince charming to appear?"

"Yes," he had replied in all seriousness. "In fact, I have made arrangements for you to marry a baron."

"What!"

I was furious. How could he even do this without asking me how I felt? I was only seventeen and I already had twenty-two vampire kills under my belt. Why couldn't he be convinced that I was destined to follow his footsteps? After innumerable heated arguments with him, often ending with me running away from home, I gave up trying to prove anything to him.

It was a great stroke of irony that my first love had been the son of Dracula.

I remember how we had first met. It was on that same night that I had run away from my own wedding. My husband-to-be had somehow been forewarned by my father about my rebellious character, and before the ceremony, he had broughtme aside and told me that he liked women to be submissive, and that I would be forbidden to leave the house without his permission. I remember how I had slipped into the bathroom to cry my heart out, then yanked off my wedding dress, threw on my father's clothes, and escaped through the back door.

I remember running, tears flowing down my face, not knowing where I was headed to, and ending up in a dark forest. While I was trying to navigate my way among the trees, a ghoul had pounced on me from among the shadows but fortunately I had brought my father's whip along for self-defense. It was no ordinary leather whip, having been fashioned with powerful alchemy, and it caused serious, often fatal damage to the undead.

The ghoul was fast but not nearly as fast. I remember lashing out at it so forcefully that I had severed its head with one clean stroke. However, I realized I'd made the mistake of thinking there was only one of those blighted creatures, when another one attacked me from behind and pinned me on the ground. I remember closing my eyes, thinking I would rather die like this than be trapped in a marriage with the baron, when I heard a rustling sound, the sound of a sword slashing. When I opened my eyes, I saw that my enemy had been split into two.

While I caught my breath, I took a good look at the youth who had saved me. His pale face was delicately formed, with champagne eyes fringed with golden eyelashes. Long, flaxen hair cascaded over his shoulders in soft waves. Despite his delicate features, he exuded masculinity. His tall, regal form was dressed in an ornate black coat with gold trimmings, with a waistcoat held together by silver buckles, and his large cuffs were folded back till his elbows. His long legs were encased in glossy black knee-high boots. A voluminous cape was draped over his shoulders, clasped by a metal chain.

I stood still, trying to figure out where he could possibly have emerged from, while recovering from my close encounter with death. "Thank you. I am Sonia," was all I managed to say.

"Alucard," he replied. He stared at me for a while, concern in his eyes, perhaps checking to see if I had visible injuries.

"I'm alright." I tried to project a tough appearance but realized I found it difficult to do so in front of him.

He nodded. "I saw how you beheaded that first monster. But it's really not safe here. I'll bring you home." Alucard looked no older than twenty, but strangely, his voice held wisdom way beyond his years.

"No! I-I'm really fine. I can take care of myself." I shuddered at the thought of going home to face my irate father.

"At least let me bring you to somewhere safe," he insisted.

I let him accompany me to an inn some distance away. While we walked, I confided in him things about myself that I would never have dreamt of telling a stranger. I told him how I had refused to get married, and how my father refused to see things from my perspective. I poured out all my thoughts and frustrations to him. He never said a word throughout, and I thought I must have bored him, or perhaps my problems were too trivial compared to his. To my surprise, he said, quietly:

"I know how you feel. My father never understood me either."

In a way, it was comforting to know that both of us had strained relationships with our fathers. We talked until we reached the inn, or rather, I did most of the talking, and he listened. He must have sensed my inner turmoil as to what my next step should be, because before we parted, he looked at me and said:

"We decide our own fate, Sonia."

These words lingered in my mind and I could not sleep for the entire night.

As if by fate, I had met him again and from then on we began our hesitant relationship. It was a relationship fraught with uncertainty, and the biggest struggle was for me to reconcile the fact that I was a God-fearing vampire slayer, romantically involved with the son of Dracula. Although he opposed his father vehemently, he was acutely aware that the blood in his veins was cursed. He felt that he was a corrupting influence on me, but tried as I might, I could not let him walk out of my life.

My father knew nothing about this, of course, and it had taken him a full six months to forgive me for running away and thoroughly disgracing him that night. I was overcome by guilt, and tried to play the good daughter for a while, until I heard about Dracula's rising. I knew for sure that the only way for me to find fulfillment in my life was to get nose-deep in vampires once again. I stole out of the house again with my father's whip, a crucifix, some bottles of holy water, and boldly set out for Dracula's castle.

(continued in Chapter 2)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Inside the Castle

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"Sonia!"

I turned around and saw him, standing there, sword in hand. He looked like he had just come out of a slugfest with Death himself. His sword was stained with a black substance that looked like dried blood. A few drops of crimson were splattered on his flaxen curls, and his face looked pale even for him, and rigid with pain. I suspected he had an injury that he was trying to hide. He strode over to me, a worried look on his face. "I didn't think it was true, but it is you!"

"Alucard! I could say the same," I gasped, stunned for a moment. Truly, I didn't expect to find him in the castle. We were in some sort of a throne room with two imposing columns and a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The chamber reeked of death and torture, and if I stood perfectly still, I thought I could hear the horrific screams of the unfortunate victims of the sadistic count. "What are you doing here?"

"Listen to me, Sonia. This is not a place for someone like you," he said, urgency rising in his voice. He was being all protective again. Why was it that I didn't get a fair chance at fighting Dracula because I was a woman? I took a deep breath to stop myself from snapping at him. I knew I must have looked frail and delicate to him, in my olive body suit, black leather boots and long golden hair tied into a braid. I was a little above average height and just a tad more muscular than girls my age. What would it take to convince him that my strength and agility were definitely not average? Deep inside I knew he cared for me, but what had attracted him about me in the first place was the fact that I had a mind of my own.

"But Alucard…" I frowned, impatience showing in my voice.

"This problem concerns only me and my father. I cannot let him get away with this." He glanced at the floor and winced, and I tried to find where he was hurt, but he shook his head and continued. "I must do this for my mother, and for the world that she so dearly loved."

Alucard's voice sounded hoarse when he mentioned his mother. He had told me that Lisa was a kind woman who had used magic to heal others but was accused of practicing witchcraft. A tragic, misunderstood figure, but someone I deeply respected. It was Lisa's altruistic nature that Alucard had inherited. He had seen her being executed by a lynch mob right in front of his eyes, when he was still little. The memory had haunted him in the form of nightmares that plagued him for endless nights.

I sensed his pain, and touched his arm, not knowing how else to comfort him at that moment.

"You must understand, Sonia. I'm the only one who can make amends for the sins committed by my father, and there is no reason for you to get involved in this battle." He brushed my hair aside with his long, slender fingers, and looked at me, pale-gold eyes pleading. "Sonia, I could not bear to lose you too. Now, turn back."

Alucard had always been gentle and patient with me. I was the childish one who often disregarded his feelings, doing impulsive things without considering how it would affect him, and how much torment it would cause him. At this moment, I tried to be as tactful and considerate as possible.

"You-you're probably right. In fact, you've always made the right decisions," I said, and took a deep breath, and made my voice sound as resolute as I could. "But, I have no intention of turning back. Just as your father had been granted strength from the evil deity to conquer the world, I have been granted strength to fight your father." I clasped his hand in mine, looked at him tenderly but my voice held firm. "I will not run away. We all decide our own fate. It was you who taught me that, Alucard."

"Alright, Sonia," he sighed. "Then show me this strength you so strongly believe in," he looked at me gravely. "For I, too, want to believe."

He took a few steps back and readied his sword. "Let us test this strength on me. Prepare yourself!"

I froze for an instant, at a loss for what to do. It was unfair to fight him when he was injured like this, and I wanted to say it out, but I knew he would disregard my words. When it came to protecting me, he was very determined, and I could not help but feel irked by the fact that he didn't believe in my ability. I was determined, too, to prove to him that I could take down Dracula just as any male Belmont could, and come out alive.

He rushed at me, sword clutched in his gloved hand. It was too straightforward. I struck out with my whip and it coiled around the sword. I wrested the sword off his hand and it fell with a resounding clang onto the ground. He leapt up in the air, cape billowing behind him, aiming a kick at my shoulder. I raised my arms to shield myself, stumbling a few steps backwards.

As he landed, I lashed out at him with my whip, he let out a grunt as my whip made contact. He came at me again, this time, he was moving so fast he was gliding along the ground, his long hair flying out of his face. My hand moved faster than my mind, and my whip was already out before I knew it, coiling around his neck. He made a small choking sound as my it tightened. I wanted to stop hurting him, I wanted him to stop. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of his hands glowing and igniting with flames, as two fireballs flew towards me. I gasp and recoiled as my skin felt the scorching heat, dodging the flames and almost losing my grip on my whip.

When the smoke cleared, he had extricated himself and came at me this time with the rapidity of lightning. I wondered if his wounds had finished healing or that he had decided to use all of his strength, but I was getting breathless coping with his attacks. I was still unscathed, but my braid had come loose and my hair fell messily over my face and shoulders. I wanted it to end fast, and there was only one option. I called upon my power of frenzy. In that instant, my body burned and shimmered with an unearthly brilliance, time slowed down, the world slowed down for me. In truth my movements had become three times as fast as usual, and I was lost in the rush of sensation, not caring about anything except to defeat my opponent.

Soon, the racing rhythm of my heartbeat subsided as the frenzy began to wane, Alucard was no longer moving in slow motion, and the castle returned to its original greyish hues as my eyes refocused. I found him half-kneeling, head bowed. He stared at the ground, breathing heavily. Drops of blood fell onto the cracked stone floor, forming a crimson pool under him.

I tried to fight back the tears welling up in my eyes and ran towards him, cradling his head. "Oh… Alucard!" I sobbed. I had hurt him in my eagerness to prove myself. Although he healed faster than ordinary humans, still, that did not take away the fact that I had drawn blood in that moment of zeal.

"It's alright. I had no idea you had become so strong," he said quietly, flinching when I touched him**.** "It looks like this time it is I who have learnt a lesson."

I was surprised at the softening of his stance. "Alucard, did you purposely…?'

"No, Sonia," he lifted his head and gazed at me with true admiration in his eyes, a rare smile on his lips, as though he was proud of me. "You have made me believe in your strength."

I stared at Alucard, and felt a tightness in my chest. I realized that it wasn't just his beauty that made me love him, it was him, and what he stood for. It was a love made up of a shared destiny, a shared persistence to bring evil on its hands and knees, to keep the people in our lands who depended on us safe at any cost, and a certain knowledge that neither of us would change the other, even if we could. I loved Alucard, all of him. He could be cold and withdrawn at times, he hated himself and could not accept himself, but I recognized that this was him, that he believed in certain ideals, and that his beliefs would never change, not even long after I myself had been put in my grave.

I caressed his flaxen hair lightly. "Alucard, I'm sorry," I could taste my own salty tears on my lips.

"Do not trouble yourself about it," he said gently, rising to his feet gracefully. A look of tiredness fell upon his face, it did not seem to be simply physical fatigue from our battle, but rather, the weight of centuries. "Now, I must sleep. I fear we will not meet again."

"I-I can't leave you like this," I shook my head and clasped his hand in mine. I felt the dark otherworldliness of his blood coursing beneath his skin. I imagined him lying in his coffin, trapped in loneliness and nightmares for all eternity. I badly wanted to give him happiness, even at the price of myself embracing some of that darkness. "Alucard... I love you."

I caught a glimpse of his eyes turning moist and bloodshot, and then he turned away. "Farewell, my beautiful vampire hunter," he whispered sadly.

As he walked towards the door, I ran across the chamber and grasped his arm. "Don't go," I said.

_(Author's note: I'm not going to fill in the details because unlike my other fic on the Succubus, I want this to have a nice clean rating. They probably did something here, because at the end of Legends it says that Sonia got pregnant. But then again I'm not sure.)_

(Continued in Chapter 3)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Battle with the Dark Sovereign

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Dracula's inner chamber was massive, empty, and ominously silent, so much so that I could hear the sound of my footsteps on the stone floor. My eyes scanned the expanse of the room, adjusting to the dimness, running over the cracks in the grey brick walls. There was no chandelier in here. Two throne chairs sat on stone platforms supported by pillars, and in the middle was a large pattern of a cross on the wall. I searched for an exit; there was none. It would end in this chamber, and only one of us would remain.

Eight years ago, I had seen one of Dracula's victims, a fellow Transylvanian who had intrepidly but foolishly decided to challenge the dark lord. The townsman's entire body had been vertically impaled on a long, sharp spear, and I could see that the stake entered him from the groin and exited from his mouth. That man had still been alive, and I remembered vividly the look on his face.

I suddenly became aware of my own breathing.

I turned around and gave an involuntary shudder as I saw him behind me. When had he appeared? How long had he been standing there? I tightened my grasp on my whip. There was something eerie in the way he stood absolutely still, like a statue, blending in with the surroundings.

Finally, the statue moved. _Came to life _was not how I would describe what he did, rather, he animated himself. He had a human's face, but there was nothing resembling humanity in it.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't afraid.

"You have done well, my girl." There was no other word to describe that voice than _demonic_. Had he moved his lips? I blinked and struggled to stay lucid, suspecting he was using some sort of mind trick on me. "In fact, you are the first human to come this far. You have my praise." His eyes began to glow unnaturally, and his smile promised painful, unpleasant things.

I struggled to stop myself from succumbing to the blazing crimson fire in his eyes. "You are the prince of darkness," I said, not knowing why these words had come out of my mouth. Had I meant to utter them? What was it that I wanted to say in the first place? I took a deep breath and swallowed, determined not to let my voice tremble. "Because of you, many people have died, many have suffered."

"Oh no, my dear," he laughed, the sound crawling all over my skin. "I have merely done what you humans wished for, fulfilling your insatiable desires." His voice had turned into a soft rasp, and his last few words held something carnal and bestial. Suddenly I wished I was out of this place, facing my angry father, fighting a ghoul in the forest, anywhere… but here.

I thought of Alucard's gentle gaze, the warm comfort of his arms, the sound of his breathing and heartbeat. I recalled his words on the night we had first met. _We decide our own fate, Sonia._ He was nothing like his father. The creature standing before me was dead, very dead, and it was the embodiment of pure evil. I wondered what kind of necromancy had kept him from staying where he belonged.

"People must fulfill their dreams with their own power," I said calmly, as if I could reason with the devil, but I had no better plan at the moment. "You have been consumed by the power of evil, and you no longer have the strength to determine your own fate."

"Silence!" he roared. I had managed to anger him. It was of little comfort, but at least I knew I could unsettle this demon. "On the contrary, I am just the one to use this power, and I will rule over the entire world!"

The aura pulsating around him was thick, dark, threatening to suffocate me. He ran his gaze over me slowly, as if thinking what a terrible waste it would be to kill me. "Give yourself to me, young lady. There may be merit in having your power, having your presence." His eyes started to gleam with eagerness.

I thought about which would be worse, dying by his hand or becoming one of his brides. I decided that should I fail in my quest, I would choose the former.

"My strength will only be used to protect the world," I said. There was not a trace of emotion in my voice, and I was proud of myself for that. "Prepare to suffer for trifling with so many lives!"

"As you wish… my girl. Then it is your fate to kneel before my power!" That last word resonated around the chamber, but he was gone.

All was still again, and I began to hear the sound of my own breathing, my heart thudding inside my chest.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him right above me on the stone platform. My body moved faster than my mind as I leapt into the air, whip glowing with an orange flame at its tip. A ball of fire burst forth at the undead statue. Before I could see if my whip had struck home, he had disappeared in the blink of an eye. I let myself down from the platform to the safer ground below.

The chamber was empty. My entire body tensed as I swept my gaze everywhere, expecting him to appear any moment. My knuckles ached from clenching my whip so tightly. I felt ill-prepared for fighting this battle. No one had been able to teach me anything; no one had seen Dracula and survived to tell the tale.

He was behind me. My whip struck his face before I could register his presence. The holy flames ate at him, and the smell of charred skin rose, suffocating me. I caught a glimpse of his burnt face, and maggots were crawling out of the rotting flesh. Was it one of his mind tricks again? The maggots swelled and became impossibly large, and burst out towards me. I felt a scream building in my gut as I used my free hand to shield myself, eyes closed, while I lashed out wildly with the whip.

As I opened my eyes and stood there relearning how to breathe, a diabolical laughter descended from the ceiling, I looked up at saw him upside down, like a bat. "Well, well, you are a worthy foe. You have lasted longer than most," his voice slithered down towards me. His face looked like he was smiling, or grimacing, I was not sure which. "But I've just been toying with you so far. Now it's time to get serious!" He snarled.

The ground began to give way under my feet, and I ran as fast as I could, trying to reach the other end of the chamber, but the bricks in front of me crumbled and were swallowed by the dark abyss. I froze in my steps, trapped, and rolled my head up to see an impossibly large dragon-like monstrosity looming over me, its massiveness occupying the entire chamber from floor to ceiling. Its face was what I had seen in my nightmares, its mouth was filled with teeth as sharp and long as the spears that it used to impale its victims. The body bulged and pulsated, and I could hear the screams of thousands of tormented souls trapped within.

My stomach clenched and I felt a bitter metallic taste at the back of my throat; I had never thought that fear could taste like this. I licked my lips and steadied myself.

My thoughts wandered to my grandfather. He had still been alive five years ago. I tried to picture him roaming in the castle with the trusty heirloom whip. His body, when they had managed to find it, had been in the form of stone fragments. He had been an imposing, unstoppable figure, one of the most fearless men I had ever known, but even he had been devoured by the darkness. I swore to myself that I would destroy Dracula. No, I could not afford to be overcome by terror at this moment.

My whip cackled with magic, spewing forth a fireball at the demon's head. To my surprise, the head broke free from its cumbersome body and flew towards me. I stood firm, lashing out ferociously. A wave of fire seared the monster's eye, sending it shrieking and backing off to the other end of the chamber. It opened its gaping jaws and vomited black noxious orbs in all directions, one rushing at me.

I swung my whip and coiled it around the pillar, and I pulled myself across the bottomless pit to safer ground. I stared at the turbulent black clouds expanding, filling the room and threatening to envelope me. I was unable to move or think. The shrieks from the tortured souls inside the monster were growing louder and more unbearable by the second.

My head started spinning, the darkness began to engulf me, and then a warm sensation overcame me as my body began to relax, feeling light as a leaf. Nothing but darkness…I was in my grandfather's arms. I wasn't frightened anymore; I felt calm, at peace with the world. _Come, my little Sonia… _his deep, rich voice and the familiar smell of his pipe called out to me. _Come and keep me company…it is lonely here._ The tears were flowing freely down my face as I felt myself sinking, sinking into nostalgia and happiness.

'Sonia! NO!' A voice came roaring through my head, jolting me into reality. It was Alucard. Where was he? How was he able to speak inside my mind like this? Was this an effect of our brief union? I blinked and looked around; everything materialized, the grey brick walls, the stone columns, the throne chairs and the cross pattern. I lifted my head and saw the demon's huge, gaping mouth. This time, flames bellowed out, and fire burst out from all corners of the chamber. This must be what hellfire looked like, I thought. The bastard had tried to bespell me and failed; now he would kill me. Rage consumed me.

"The power, Sonia," Alucard's voice whispered urgently in my mind. I called upon the Saint, Alucard's parting gift to me. In that instant, the power flowed into my body, igniting me with a rush of energy. The world exploded with blinding light, as shimmering waves of holy power swept the room. "NO, THIS CANNOT BE!" A howl of anguish thundered through the chamber as the dark lord's body began to disintegrate. The walls began to crumble, and I darted frantically towards the door and ran for my life.

As I watched the castle collapse, I wondered if Dracula would stay down for good. A crowd had gathered, gawking in amazement at the sight, but my first thought was to go home and say sorry to my father for stealing his whip. I expected him to yell at me, but to my surprise, he said he was proud of me.

The whole of Transylvania celebrated my victory for three days and nights. I should have been elated, but there was something bothering me ever since I left the castle. I still did not tell my father about Alucard. He would almost certainly kill me if he found out what I had done. Part of me regretted doing it; I had been my impetuous self and had not thought about the consequences.

I went to church and prayed for my soul, and for Alucard's soul.

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Hope Sonia fans like this. Comments would be greatly appreciated! :)


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